SimpliCity: Healthy living in the Pikes Peak region

Do something to be a better you.

Tools

Welcome to the third annual SimpliCity guide, intended to spread the word on various healthy living topics in the Pikes Peak area.

Consider this a supplement to our weekly SimpliCity column, where we tackle environmental issues and concerns ranging from mindful city infrastructure to sustainable local agriculture.

Here, we turn the focus to one's self — ways to start small when the world's problems feel too big. In the gooey New Age sense, many people believe that by healing and changing the self, you can send out positive energy to better affect others and your surroundings.

Or, you can side with edgy outdoorsman and nature philosopher Edward Abbey, who wrote, "Yes, there are plenty of heroes and heroines everywhere you look. They are not famous people. They are generally obscure and modest people doing useful work, keeping their families together and taking an active part in the health of their communities, opposing what is evil (in one way or another) and defending what is good. Heroes do not want power over others."

As a community, we aren't going to make this world a better place by sitting on our duffs or adopting selfish and narcissistic stances. At turns, it will require Abbey's passion and fiery spirit, but at other moments the best we can do for each other is take care of ourselves — so that we're energized and ready when the phone rings for a big favor or a situation calls for heroes.

Float, throw, lift or sit in stillness — whatever your speed, do something to be a better you. You just may improve us all.